


Strange Bedfellows

by i0nsquare



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fire Emblem: Three Houses Black Eagles Route, Friends With Benefits, Mutual Pining, Post-Timeskip | War Phase (Fire Emblem: Three Houses)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-16
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:41:48
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27040669
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i0nsquare/pseuds/i0nsquare
Summary: She used to say "this has to be the last time," and he used to say "this cannot go on any longer," but their magnetic attraction was too strong to resist.Ferdithea, Crimson Flower route, post A-Support.
Relationships: Ferdinand von Aegir/Dorothea Arnault
Comments: 8
Kudos: 33





	Strange Bedfellows

Dorothea doesn't remember the last time she was up before dawn, outside of their morning military marches. She endeavored to slip into the peace of dreamless sleep for as long as she can, during the mornings that she can, and made sure everyone else in her company knew not to bother her before she was needed. She found sanctuary in her heavy duvets and in every moment spent outside of the battlefield.

  
But here she was, catching the warm glow of the horizon in her bleary eyes, heart racing, writhing in pleasure underneath the broad-shouldered form of Ferdinand von Aegir as he made love to her for the second time in the last 24 hours.

  
This was not something usual for her. Her dwindling trysts, as she had become bored of bedding women and men so casually in the days of her youth, never ended with either party staying the night. Nor did they involve round twos right after waking.

  
_Moments before dawn. Why had she stirred awake at such an ungodly hour?_

  
_She watches him prop himself up with one hand, ever at the ready for a day of work and war ahead. A familiar sight._

  
_She reaches out to touch his arm. His warmth is inviting._

  
_"Are you truly in a hurry to be away from me?"_

  
_She teases, but his eyes are hard and serious. "Never."_

  
_"Hmm. Good. Then maybe we have some time to spare before the sun comes?"_

  
_She puts on a wicked smile. He gulps. They both know she's right._

  
His white-knuckled grip transferred from the sheets on either side of her waist, to push down on her thighs to spread her legs wider as his rhythm within her became more erratic. She reached down to sweep satisfying circles around her bud to help her come closer.

  
He was hitting the right spots she had instructed him to, the good little bee that he is, and she felt herself on the onset of an orgasm. She willed herself to remain as quiet as possible with one hand over her clamped lips, and she slipped a finger into Ferdinand's mouth. He obliged and bit lightly, his tongue lapping up slick left on her digit.

  
With a few hard thrusts, it was all over, Dorothea trying to restrain the bucking of her hips to no avail, gently hissing out the pleasure through gritted teeth. Ferdinand uttered a strangled sound, halfway through a choke and a moan with a hint of a sigh, hands digging at the tops of her hips as he released inside her.

  
Without pulling out, Ferdinand collapsed on top of Dorothea but gently broke the fall with his elbows, planting his face against her neck as he recovered. It boggled Dorothea's mind how they seemed to have cracked the code to finish together, but gods, it felt so good that she'd rather chalk it up to the mysteries of the world.

  
After a few moments, Ferdinand reached down to free himself from Dorothea, tumbling over on his side to lie on his back beside her. One forearm rested over his closed eyes as he tried to regulate his gasping breaths.

  
"Ferdie, what in the world was that noise?" she arranged her face carefully, hoping he'd wouldn't misunderstand her teasing as an insult. She still had the nerve to push his buttons in such moments, but she knew she had to, if only to hide her own vulnerability.

  
Ferdinand got the message, sighed, and locked his arms around her waist, and attempted to tickle her. "Why are you so uncharitable to me in this early hour..." She could feel him pouting against her shoulder. She laughed softly, mimicking trying to free herself from him as his grip slid closer, and she relented with a sigh as they settled in an intimate position.

  
“I was going to say it was really hot,” she said so quietly she was sure he didn't hear, but she feels an embarrassed yet pleased smile on her skin in response. They laid like this for a few silent minutes.

  
Dorothea and Ferdinand had been assigned to scout the Great Bridge of Myrddin by Edelgard herself. Ferdinand, because his company of heavy armored units was suited to the battlefield's chokepoints, and Dorothea, as Hubert had assigned her to teach the army's mages her brand of long-range magic, using the bridge as a vantage point.

  
It was only a month's assignment, beginning when they reunited with their Professor and sieged the Great Bridge from the Leicester Alliance. As Ferdinand drew up strategies and Dorothea calculated her reason tables, the nearing climax of the war built up anxiety within both of them.

  
Perhaps it was the mix of loneliness, fear, and boredom that resulted in a drunken spree that tumbled into a night of passion. But as soon as they experienced each other's touch, they were doomed to seek it forever. Or at least, until the end of their assignment.

  
This was only the fourth - well, now technically, the fifth - time they had found solace in each other's arms, but their routine started to become something comforting and familiar. She used to say "this has to be the last time," and he used to say "this cannot go on any longer," but their magnetic attraction, especially after some revelations one fateful day in the Garreg Mach cathedral, was too strong to resist.

  
"Alright, now I _really_ have to go," Ferdinand released his hold on Dorothea, gently repositioning her on the bed as a nobleman does. He sits up straight and swings his legs over the side, once again the dutiful soldier going through his morning schedule. She wondered if his respected subordinates would be able to pick up the scent of sex he was currently carrying, and if they would be surprised or if they would even care.

  
He quickly threw on some clothes - his outfit a pared-down version of his full General Aegir regalia - and poured Dorothea a glass of water from his far dresser.

  
She took the glass gratefully and had a long sip. "I'll sneak back to my room during breakfast, while everyone's busy getting fed. I hope you're alright with me hanging out here a bit. Might sleep a little more," she finished the glass and set it down on his bedside table. She noticed that her clothes from the previous night were neatly folded atop the table as well, and she was sure her smallclothes were folded within, too. How funny was it that the very same man who set her dress aside with care, so desperately unbuttoned it and helped her pull it over her head with abandon just the night before?

  
"Of course. Please, do make yourself comfortable for the time being," as he turned to the mirror to adjust his coat.

  
He looked back to Dorothea's figure on his bed, outlined in thin sheets she had bundled over herself. He had a curious expression on his face as he traveled to the bedside and to retrieve the forgotten glass, but instead of reaching out, he sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned into Dorothea to cup her cheek and give her a gentle kiss.

  
It was then that Dorothea realized they never kissed outside of the context of a fuck, and so surprised herself when she kissed back, light but saccharine sweet. It lasted for several blissful moments but felt like an agonizingly distant memory as soon as Ferdinand pulled away.

  
Holding on to her face, he watched her watch him, cheeks inflamed, and breathing a little labored. "Best of luck with the Mage Corps this afternoon. I believe in you."

  
Dorothea had lamented that while she felt powerful knowing she was the army's only mage to wield Meteor, she disliked being seen as a destructive weapon of the Empire. She had spilled to Ferdinand that she was thinking of either fudging her reason calculations to downgrade her spells to a tenth of their damage and reach, or to report to Hubert that her company had no such talent in her ranks. She doesn't know why she trusted Ferdinand with that little truth. A part of her was afraid he might rebuke her confession, for she knows all he wants is what's best for the Imperial Army's swift victory. But instead, he looks into her eyes, their mutual melancholy palpable - an odd source of comfort. He merely replied she will know to do the right thing. He believes in her.

  
Ferdinand reluctantly dropped his hand away. He looked like he has something more to say, but grimaced as if he decided against it. He left the room with a bow and a smile and she can't help but giggle at his silly, polite gesture towards his illicit stowaway. His warm brown eyes are the last things she sees as he swung his bedroom door closed.

  
The door's lock clicked and she sunk back into the bed, attempting to catch at least another hour of sleep. Unfortunately, her mind was assaulted with a torrent of thoughts.

  
She absent-mindedly plucked several long stray hairs off the pillows - brunette and red strands scattered as a result of their fresh tussle in the sheets.

  
_This is going to be a problem_ , she mused how the two would handle all this hair fall. After a while, she mentally kicked herself in the head when her thoughts dipped into a possible future with Ferdinand.

  
Caspar reckoned it would be another half a year until the Empire would accomplish its conquest of Fódlan. Five long years, and suddenly everything was rushing towards a history-defining conclusion. Dorothea wondered deep and wondered far, flicking a few more strands to the floor. If this war she was fighting promised a world changed, where would she belong?

  
The small voice at the back of her head returned and asked what would happen to whatever was going on between herself and Ferdinand.

  
They were already halfway through their mission, and who knows where Edelgard will send each of them next? Death and despair had become bedfellows of the Empire's bloody war against the Church, and she was happy to make room for such an ambitious, kind, and understanding human being. Strange as it would seem to her colleagues, their people, and even a younger version of herself, she's decided at the very least, she wants to remain close to her bee - in whatever capacity, at the end of it all.

  
_At the end of it all_ , she gathered the sheets closer as the thought both excited and frightened her. _At the end of it all_ , she closed her eyes as her head sank further into the pillow, breathing in the room's smell of expensive tea, and drifted off into peaceful sleep.

**Author's Note:**

> *hides away*... I don't think the sex scene is enough to warrant an E rating, but I'm still nervous about it *sweats*... the true inspiration was Francesco Hayez's "Il Bacio". I recently had to write about the painting. There was something about the kiss that felt like words unsaid between the couple. And so my brain went into Ferdithea mode, so here we are. Please let me know what you think of my writing... I don't know if I can handle writing smut-adjacent stuff anymore lol.
> 
> I know "strange bedfellows" refers to another, more political meaning but I just really liked how it sounded, heh.
> 
> If you did end up liking the fic, a comment or a kudos would be appreciated and encouraging! Thank you for reading!
> 
> Song inspiration: Celestial Bodies - GHOST DATA ft. Jovani Occomy


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